Cyclist Finishes Bike Race with Injured Leg

We’ve all heard stories of amazing wins and finishes during race competitions. Cyclists or race car drivers would definitely do everything in their power to cross the finish line, no matter what it takes. It’s a matter of life and death for them. Dale Earnhardt Sr. is a perfect example of racing to death. He crashed and died during the Daytona 500 race, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. also crashed during a test run prior to this year’s season.

The same passion and devotion for racing drove Azizulhasni Awang to claim third place at the 2011 Track Cycling World Cup despite having a 7.8-inch piece of wood piercing his left leg.

The Malaysian track cyclist and three other riders crashed while racing furiously to the finish line during the World Cup. Awang stumbled off his bike and a piece of Siberian pine pierced his left calf.

The cyclist didn’t let the splinter flag him down though. He jumped back on his bike and shot down the track despite the injury, finishing third place behind British cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and Australian Jason Niblett.

Awang eventually fell off his bike and onto the ground after finishing the race, in obvious pain but definitely proud that he got the bronze medal.

The cyclist was immediately rushed to the hospital after the race and a surgical operation was done by a team of specialists to take out the splinter.

“Operation done. Splinter taken out cleanly,” Awang said on his Twitter account.

The Malaysian coach John Beasley praised Awang’s courage: “He was in a lot of pain but he’s a really tough kid.”